Walking doll

ABSTRACT

Self-walking doll having an inner motor-driven mechanism comprising a crank-operated equilateral lever arm system. Two arms of the lever arm system are articulatedly jointed to a pair of limbs, such as legs.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ll/l950 Henderson Enrico Ceccon May 28, 1969 Patented Sept. 14, 1971 3:32; Sig [32] Priority May 28,1968, Feb. 25,1969 7/1963 6 i' [331 y 1968 Kalll e ye a-....................

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-D. L. Weinhold WALKING DOLL Attorney-Jacobi, Lilling & Siege] [2]] Appl. No. [22] Filed 10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

46/150 ABSTRACT: Self-walking doll having an inner motor-driven [51] Int. A63l 11/14 mechanism comprising a crank-operated equilateral lever arm [50] Field of 46/149, system. Two arms of the lever arm system are articulatedly jointed to a pair of limbs, such as legs.

PATENTEI] SEP] 4 Ian SHEEI 1 OF 2 [Me/c0 Clcc. 011/ INVENTOR BY M ATTORNEYS.

PATENTED SEP 1 4 |97| SHEET 2 OF 2 WALKING DOLL The present invention relates to an improved self-walking doll and more particularly to a mechanism to be mounted in the trunk of a doll or the like having limbsjointed to said doll trunk. The mechanism causing the legs of the doll to swing up and down with respect to said trunk is designed in such a manner that as one of the legs moves upward, the whole weight of the doll acts on the foot of the other leg now resting on the floor at a point which will constitute the pivot point about which the doll body is caused to rotate so as to put the raised leg forward. Thusly, as this latter leg in turn will be moved downward, it will be positioned in advance of the other leg, which during the preceding phase of walking has been in contact with the floor and which now will begin its raising phase so that the doll can take a short step forward.

In order to make this mechanism operative it is necessary to give a particular rearwards bent disposition to the upper part of the doll body as well as to its legs, as may be seen when the doll stands up; namely the center of gravity of the doll is vertically positioned over the forward part of the foot of that leg which rests on the floor, so that the most forward projecting part of the doll trunk is that where the said mechanism is located.

The up-and-down movement of the legs is due to an inner star-shaped lever provided with three arms which is pivoted about a pin, carried by the trunk of the doll and parallel to the advancing direction of the walking doll. The lever comprises an upper arm or effort arm which swings about a vertical axis and is actuated by a crankshaft or the like driven by a motor, while the two other lower arms are symmetrically positioned with respect to the upper arm as well as to the vertical transverse center plane of the doll which is parallel to the advancing direction of the doll, as the upper arm is vertical. Each of said lower arms of the lever are inclined outwardly and downwardly, being made integral respectively with a supporting member provided to carry and to allow the articulation of the legs connected therewith. The rotary movement of each leg is effected by friction means and by the action of an elastic locking means which tends to maintain the trunk of the doll and its legs in their normal standby arrangement corresponding to a standup position of the doll; said locking means may be made inoperative by forcing forward the corresponding leg with respect to its supporting member, when it is desired to change the walking position of the doll body to its sitting one.

The accompanying drawings show an embodiment of the invention given merely by way of example. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of the body of the doll as well as of its lower limbs, while the upper limbs and the head have been removed, since they do not concern the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the parts of the doll shown in FIG. I, said cross-sectional view being taken along line A-A of FIG. 1 which represents the vertical-transverse center plane of the doll;

FIG. 3 shows a detail on an enlarged scale, of the three-arm lever as well as the means provided to support and to connect the legs of the doll to its trunk, said detail being shown by means of a view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 2, one of said means being sectioned with an axial plane;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the detail shown in FIG. 3, said view being taken along line C-.C of the same figure.

Now referring to the drawing, at l is marked a hollow body shaped as the trunk of a doll body, said body being preferably constructed in two halves which may be connected to each other by any suitable means.

As in the conventional dolls at each of the ilium zones a wide opening 2 is arranged in ahollow body to provide a sufficient space for the passage and articulation of the connecting and articulating devices of the legs3.

The mechanism for moving-thelegs 3so as to cause the doll to walk is driven by an electric motor 4 fed by any suitable source, as, for instance, drycells 5'or the like, placed in housings 6 formed in the inside of the hollow body 1 and suitably made integral therewith. The motor 4 drives a gear train, generally marked 4b, which is supported by a casing secured to the body 1, said gear train 4b transmitting the movement to a crankshaft 4c, the crank head 7 of which is engaged into a rectilinear guiding slot 8 arranged in the upper arm 11 of a three-arm lever and parallel to the longitudinal axis of said arm. The three-arm lever is constituted of a vertical plate forming three arms 11, 11s and 11d and is pivoted about a pin 9, the axis of which is parallel to the walking direction of the doll, which pin 9 is carried by the body 1 by means of a suitable bushing 90.

As the doll stands up in a stationary position (FIG. 1) the upper arm 11 has its longitudinal axis vertical and lying in the vertical-transverse center plane AA of the doll, while the longitudinal axis D.-D of the lower arm 1 1d, designed to support the right leg 3 and the longitudinal axis SS of the lower arm 11s designed to support the left leg 3 are symmetrically positioned relative to the plane AA and project outwardly and downwardly in opposite directions respectively.

Preferably, along the axis of each arm [1, 11d and 11s reinforcing ribs 12 are provided, projecting outwardly from each of the two surfaces of said arms so that said arms have a crossshaped section; the ribs 12 which are arranged on the arm 11 extend upwardly with portions 12a which encircle the slot 8 and cooperate to reinforce its sidewalls.

At the en of each of the lever arms lld or 11s is fixed a hollow supporting member 13 conically shaped so as to have its smaller cross section at its outer end. On the inner surface of each member 13, longitudinal grooves are provided and are so positioned and shaped as to be able to match the facing edges of the end portion of the arm 11s or 11d and of those of the ribs 12 provided thereon so as to obtain a restrained joint between the conical member 13 and the end of the arm 11s or lldcarrying the same. A pin 14 passing throughout the conical member 13 and the arm 11s or lld supporting said member cooperates with the aforesaid restrained joint in order to hold the conical member 13 in position on its carrying arm Us or lld.

At its upper end, each of said conical members 13 projects outwardly with an annular flat flange 15 which is provided to constitute a guiding and resting surface for a flange 17 which is a part of a connecting means made integral with the corresponding leg 3 of the doll. Said flange 17 projects inwards from a cylindrical hollow body 16 made integral with said leg 3. The body 16 and the flange 17 constitute in combination the connecting means by means of which each leg 3 is connected and articulated with respect to the conical member 13 carried by each of the lower arms 11s and lld. The flange 17 has an inner hole of such a diameter so as to allow that said means l7, 16 may be mounted about the conical member 13 with the flange 17 in contact with the flange 15. A spring 18 urges, with one of its ends, against the inner surface of the flange 17 while it is connected at the other end with the body of the conical member 13 so as to press the flange 17 against the flange 15 of the conical member 13, and to perform a friction connection between the two facing surfaces of the flanges l5 and 17, for the purpose of permitting the variable positioning of each leg 3 relative to its conical supporting member 13 as long as ,a force will be applied sufficient to overcome the effect of the spring 14. Furthermore, on the purpose of exactly defining the correct position of each leg 3 relative to its conical supporting member 13, which is essential to allow the doll to walk, a suitable detent or elastic stop means is provided comprising a recess 19 arranged in one of the facing surfaces 15 and I7, and a projecting part 20 adapted to be engaged into said recess and provided in the other surface, said recess 19 and projecting part 20 matching each other, when the doll stands up (FIG. 3). Saidstop means 19 and 20 acts under the effect of the aforesaid spring 18 and may be made inoperative by rotating forwards the corresponding leg 3 with respect of the trunk 1 until the projection 20 comes out from said recess 19, as the action of the spring 18 has been overcome, thusafterwards the leg 3 may be more easily rotated under just the friction effect provided by the spring 18 so as to bring the doll legs 3 into their sitting arrangement.

On the back of the starlike lever 11, 11s and 11d is fixed in any suitable manner a hollow body or the like 21 which has end portions facing the flanges 15 of the conical members 13 mounted thereon. On each of said end portions a hole is arranged to house a pin 22 projecting from a lug 15a of the corresponding flange 15. These pins 22 are substantially parallel with the axes SS and D-D respectively, of the arms 1 Is and 11d and are designed each to provide an eccentric locking means adapted to prevent the conical member 13, 15 from rotating about the axis SS or D-D, thus cooperating with the restrained joint system which has been obtained forcing the edges of the lever arms 1 Is and 1 1d to be engaged into the grooves arranged longitudinally along the inner surfaces of the conical members 13.

During the walking, each leg 3 follows the up-and-down movement of the conical member 13-15 connected therewith, due to the spring connection provided between the flanges l5 and 17, while the correct positioning of each leg 3 is defined by the spring locking means 18, 19 and 20.

Therefore, as the crank head 7 rotates along the circle 7a (F 10$. 1 and 3) about the axis of the driving shaft 40, the lever arm 11 swings the axis A-A between the two end positions shown by dotted lines on FIG. 3, since the crank end 7 is engaged in the longitudinal slot 8. Due to said swinging movement of the arm 11, the starlike lever swings about the axis of the pin 9 so that, for instance, the left leg 3 is caused to raise while the right leg 3 leans against the floor with its foot on which the whole weight of the doll is discharged.

As aforesaid, said, the upper part of the doll as well as its legs 3 are bent rearwards so as to follow a curved line 23 (FIG. 2) so that its more advanced portion is that of the trunk 1 wherein the mechanism of the invention is placed. Therefore said line 23 passes through the articulation plane of the legs 3 and then reaches the heel zone of each sole of the feet 3a. Said foot sole is preferably provided with resilient means constituted by a duly shaped plate member and underneath said sole 23 another plate member is provided substantially of the same shape. The member 25 is connected and restrained to the member 24 by a plurality of substantially vertical guiding pins 26, sliding into cylindrical housings arranged in the member 24. Between the plate members 24 and 25 preferably arranged around pins 26, helical springs 27 are mounted which tend to maintain said plate members 24 and 25 duly spaced from each other. In such a manner, a spring bearing of each foot 3a on the floor is obtained, which enables the doll to advance step by step with a soft and elastic walking so that the doll looks like a walking baby. As the doll walks, as a result of the swinging of the starlike lever 11, 11s, 1 1d in one direction, the weight of the doll moves from the heel portion of the foot 3a resting on the floor towards its forward part about which the body of the doll pivots and lightly rotates forwards with the doll side where there is the raised leg 3, so that this latter is brought forward with respect to the other leg resting on the floor. Said displacement of weight along the foot 3a causes the springs 27 to be partially compressed so that the doll looks like it has articulated feet 30. Said spring bearing system serves also to give a perfect equilibrium to the doll, enabling that this latter overcomes unevennesses of the floor.

As the lever 11, 11s and 11d performs then a swinging movement in the opposite direction the raised leg 3 now moves downwards and reaches the floor in an advanced position with respect to the other foot 30 which was previously in contact with the floor and which begins now to move upwards while the doll performs a rotary movement about the new bearing point of the foot in the opposite direction so that the doll advances another step and so on.

It is to be pointed 'out that the spring suspension system of each foot cannot be seen from outside, since it is substantially wholly hidden in the'inside of the shoes 28 of the doll (FIG. 2).

Furthermore, on account of the fact that the mechanism of the invention is very small andsimple, it can occupy only a part of the inner space of the hollow body 1 so that the remaining part of said space will be free and could be used for locating talking apparatus or the like.

lclaim:

l. A self-walking doll having a hollow body and articulated limbs in the form of legs which are provided with feetand are moved by a mechanism located inside said hollow body of said doll; said mechanism comprising a three-arm lever pivoted about a centrally disposed pin, the axis of which'isparallel to the walking direction of said doll, an upper lever arm'of said three-arm lever is caused to oscillate by means of a driving device about a vertical axis passing through the pivot axis of said lever, the other two arms of said three-arm lever extend in opposite direction with respect of said upper lever arm so as to project outwardly and downwardly with respect to a vertical axis of the upper lever arm, said lower arms of said three-arm lever being fixedly connected to the upper part of their cooperatively associated legs of said doll; the upper part of said doll and the legs formingan arch or curved line extending rearwardly from a vertical line through the center of gravity of said doll, the most forwardly advanced part of said curved line passes through said body substantially where said mechanism is located, so that as each foot of the doll during a walk rests on a substrate, the action or center of gravity line of the weight of said doll passes through from the heel portion of the foot to the forward part of the foot, and resilient sole means mounted under each foot providing the means for overcoming substrate unevenness and for facilitating a balanced doll equilibrium.

2. The self-walking doll according to claim 1, wherein the swinging movement of the upper lever arm of said three-arm lever is operated by a crankshaft driven by a motor, the crank head of said crankshaft is engaged in a longitudinal slot arranged in said upper lever arm so that the rotary movement of said crankshaft is transformed'into a swinging movement of said upper lever arm about the pivot axis of said three-arm lever.

3. The self-walking doll according to claim 2, further including a supporting member connected to each of said lower arms of said three-arm lever, and a concentric connecting element frictionally hinged thereto.

4. The self-walking doll according to claim 3, wherein said concentric connecting elements are integral with the upper part of said legs.

5. The self-walking doll according to claim 4, wherein-said supporting members areconically shaped and have their smallest cross section at their outer ends, the inner ends each project outwardly with a flat flange serving as a bearing sliding surface for a second flange forming a part of a device provided to connect each leg with the correspondingly associated conical member; said device comprising in combination with said second flange and a short tubular body so as to be adapted to be mounted concentrically around said conical supporting member with its flange in contact with that of said conical member, said second flange of said connecting device being biased against said flat flange of the conical member by resilient means acting at one of its ends against the inner surface of said second flange and anchored at the other end to said conical member so as to generate between the two facing surfaces of said flangesa friction effect which provides that the flanges and the parts connected thereto can accomplish rotary movement with respect to each other.

6. The self-walking doll according to claim 5, wherein disengageable detent locking means is provided between said two facing flanges so that in the operative disposition, the mutual position of the two flanges is defined for the walking of said doll.

7. The self-walking doll according to claim 6, wherein said locking device comprises a recess arranged in one of said facstands up, said detent means being associated with a spring which acts so as to press one flange against the other so that said projection is precluded from coming out of said recess.

8. The self-walking doll according to claim 7, wherein said spring associated with said detent means is same spring forming said resilient means provided to enable a friction rotary movement of each leg of the doll with respect to the body.

9. The self-walking doll according to claim 7, wherein each supporting member is mounted on the corresponding lower arm of the three arm lever by means adapted to fixedly connecting the aforesaid parts each other preventing any relative rotary movement of them.

10. The self-walking doll according to claim 1, wherein said resilient sole means for each foot comprises a plate conforming to the shape of said foot, an identically shaped parallel plate spaced therefrom by means of a plurality of pins set substantially at a right angle to said plates and made integral with said lower plate, said pins sliding in guiding holes provided in the upper plate, said plates being spaced apart from each other by means of springs having a spring rate so proportionated that said springs can be only partially compressed as the whole weight of the doll discharges on one of its feet, such as that foot which rests on the floor and about which the body of the doll pivots and slightly rotates forward in order to bring forward the other leg of the doll which is in an upraised position. 

1. A self-walking doll having a hollow body and articulated limbs in the form of legs which are provided with feet and are moved by a mechanism located inside said hollow body of said doll; said mechanism comprising a three-arm lever pivoted about a centrally disposed pin, the axis of which is parallel to the walking direction of said doll, an upper lever arm of said threearm lever is caused to oscillate by means of a driving device about a vertical axis passing through the pivot axis of said lever, the other two arms of said three-arm lever extend in opposite direction with respect of said upper lever arm so as to project outwardly and downwardly with respect to a vertical axis of the upper lever arm, said lower arms of said three-arm lever being fixedly connected to the upper part of their cooperatively associated legs of said doll; the upper part of said doll and the legs forming an arch or curved line extending rearwardly from a vertical line through the center of gravity of said doll, the most forwardly advanced part of said curved line passes through said body substantially where said mechanism is located, so that as each foot of the doll during a walk rests on a substrate, the action or center of gravity line of the weight of said doll passes through from the heel portion of the foot to the forward part of the foot, and resilient sole means mounted under each foot providing the means for overcoming substrate unevenness and for facilitating a balanced doll equilibrium.
 2. The self-walking doll according to claim 1, wherein the swinging movement of the upper lever arm of said three-arm lever is operated by a crankshaft driven by a motor, the crank head of said crankshaft is engaged in a longitudinal slot arranged in said upper lever arm so that the rotary movement of said crankshaft is transformed into a swinging movement of said upper lever arm about the pivot axis of said three-arm lever.
 3. The self-walking doll according to claim 2, further including a supporting member connected to each of said lower arms of said three-arm lever, and a concentric connecting element frictionally hinged thereto.
 4. The self-walking doll according to claim 3, wherein said concentric connecting elements are integral with the upper part of said legs.
 5. The self-walking doll according to claim 4, wherein said supporting members are conically shaped and have their smallest cross section at their outer ends, the inner ends each project outwardly with a flat flange serving as a bearing sliding surface for a second flange forming a part of a device provided to connect each leg with the correspondingly associated conical member; said device comprising in combination with said second flange and a short tubular body so as to be adapted to be mounted concentrically around said conical supporting member with its flange in contact with that of said conical member, said second flange of said connecting device being biased against said flat flange of the conical member by resilient means acting at one of its ends against the inner surface of said second flange and anchored at the other end to said conical member so as to generate between the two facing surfaces of said flanges a friction effect which provides that the flanges and the parts connected thereto can accomplish rotary movement with respect to each other.
 6. The self-walking doll according to claim 5, wherein disengageable detent locking means is provided between said two facing flanges so that in the operative disposition, the mutual position of the two flanges is defined for the walking of said doll.
 7. The self-walking doll according to claim 6, wherein said locking device comprises a recess arranged in one of said facing surface, and a projection provided in the other of said flanges adapted to be engaged into said recess and so positioned that said detent means becomes operative as the doll stands up, said detent means being associated with a spring which acts so as to press one flange against the other so that said projection is precluded from coming out of said recess.
 8. The self-walking doll according to claim 7, wherein said spring associated with said detent means is same spring forming said resilient means provided to enable a friction rotary movement of each leg of the doll with respect to the body.
 9. The self-walking doll according to claim 7, wherein each supporting member is mounted on the corresponding lower arm of the three arm lever by means adapted to fixedly connecting the aforesaid parts each other preventing any relative rotary movement of them.
 10. The self-walking doll according to claim 1, wherein said resilient sole means for each foot comprises a plate conforming to the shape of said foot, an identically shaped parallel plate spaced therefrom by means of a plurality of pins set substantially at a right angle to said plates and made integral with said lower plate, said pins sliding in guiding holes provided in the upper plate, said plates being spaced apart from each other by means of springs having a spring rate so proportionated that said springs can be only partially compressed as the whole weight of the doll discharges on one of its feet, such as that foot which rests on the floor and about which the body of the doll pivots and slightly rotates forward in order to bring forward the other leg of the doll which is in an upraised position. 